Time gas-lighting apparatus



PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

I J. GONKLIN. TIME GAS LIGHTING'APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APB.10. 1901.

N0 MODEL.

m: noims PETERS co. PHOYQUTIKL. WASHINGTON, u. c,

Patented February 2, 1904.

UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

JOSEPH CONKLIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TIME GAS-LIGHTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,381, dated February2, 1904 Application filed April 10, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH CoNKLIN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadel. phia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Automatic Gas-Lighting Apparatus, of which thefollowing'is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in automatic gas-lightingapparatus, and is particularly adapted for lighting streetlamps.

The object of my invention is to provide simple automatic means which.will require very little attention and which will automatically lightthe lamps at a certain predetermined hour and automatically extinguishsaid lights at a certain predetermined hour.

My invention is used in connection with a pilot-light.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an enlargedsectional view of the box carrying the light-controlling mechanism,showing the main gas-valve open. Fig. .2 is a sectional view of aportion of the structure, showing the main valve closed; and Fig. 3 isview illustrating a modification embodying my invention. I

A is the lamp-post, carrying the box B, within which my improvedautomatic mechanism for lighting and extinguishing the lamp is arranged.

A is the frame for holding the globe a and the top of the lamp, and thisframe, globe, and top may be of any desired shape, and the box B may beapplied to any portion of a lamp-post or in any convenient position withrespect to the burner withoutdeparting from my invention.

Passing up from the postAto the box B is a gas-supply pipe C, which iscurved in the present instance, as shown in Fig. 1, to pass around theautomatic mechanism and is coupled to the valve-casing E, which in turnis coupled to the burner F. This burner may be of the ordinary form ormay be in the form of a Welsbach burner, as illustrated in Fig.

' 1, provided with the usual mantle.

Serial No. 55,204. (No model.)

desired. In the present instance d d are the two spring-drums, which arecoupled to a shaft d through a train of gears, as clearly shown, and acontrolling-cam D is mounted on and secured to the shaft d in anysuitable on the lower end of this spindle is a roller f,

which bears against the peripheryof the cam D, a spring f tending tohold the roller f I against said cam. This cam D is stepped at Z) 1),making two concentric faces-one farther from the center of rotation thanthe other, so that when the roller f is on the surface 0 the valve e isin the closed position, and when the roller f is resting on the surface0 the valve is opened, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

A by-pass 9 leads from the passage on one side of.the valve-seat to thepassage'on the opposite side of the valve-seat, and the amount of gaspassing throughthis by-pass is regulated by a needle-valve g, having athreaded stem, so that by turning this valve the amount of gas thatpasses through the by-pass can be regulated, or it can be entirely outoff, as desired.

It will be understood thatthe cam D can be detached and other camssecured to the shaft d when it is desired to lengthen or shorten thetime the light is to burn. During the winter months a cam should be usedthat will give a longer illumination, owing to the fact that the nightsare longer than in the summer-time, and the cam to be used in the summershould be regulated accordingly; In some districts it is not necessaryto illuminate the streets after a certain hour, and the cams can beshaped to agree with the regulations in this respect.

During the time the cam-surface c'is traveling in contact with theroller f only a small pilot-light is burning, suflicient to ignite thegas when the full head is on, and this pilot-light can be protected inany suitable manner, so that it will not be extinguished by strong windsor sudden drafts. In the elsbach light the ordinary hood will protectthe light, whereas when the ordinary fish-tail burner is used a hood Gis preferably provided for this purpose.

I have shown in Fig. 3 a modification embodying my invention, in whichthe device shown in Fig. 1 is attachedto a movable hood G for use withan ordinary fish-tail burner. The position of this hood is controlled bythe valve-spindle e,thelatter having an apertured lug h, in which isadjustably mounted a stem or rod in, supporting said hood G. In otherrespects the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 is the same as that illustratedin Fig. 1.

By my invention it will be seen that a very simple device can be usedfor automatically lighting and extinguishing street-lamps, so that anattendant is only required to wind the mechanism once during a period ofa week or ten days, and this attendant at the same time can clean thelamps and the globes. It will thereby be seen that the services of alamplighter is dispensed with and a considerable amount of gas is saved,owing to the fact that all the lights in the city can be turned onsimultaneously and extinguished simultaneously, whereas by the formermethod of lighting by means of a lamplighter some of the lights werestarted long before the time necessary to illuminate the streets, andthe same is the case where when the lights have to be extinguished by anattendant they burn considerably longer than necessary.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination in an automatic gaslightingapparatus, of the burner, a gassupply pipe having passages at an angleto each other, a main valve controlling the admission of gas from saidpipe to the burner, said valve having a seat within the gas-supply pipeat the junction of the passages within the same, clockwork mechanismhaving a cam controlling the position of the main valve, the seat ofsaid valve having a groove forming an auxiliary gas-passage to support areduced main flame when the main valve is closed, and a threaded membercarried by the wall of the main gas-supply pipe, said pipe having anaperture in line with the groove in the valveseat, and said threadedmember having a reduced end entering said aperture and forming a valveto control said auxiliary gas-passage when the main valve is closed.

2. The combination in an automatic gaslighting apparatus, of the burner,a gas-supply pipe having passages at an angle to each other, a mainvalve controlling the admission of gas from said pipe to the burner,said valve having a seat within the gas-supply pipe at the junction ofthe passages within the same, the seat of said valve having a grooveforming an auxiliary gas-passage to support a reduced main flame whenthe main valve is closed, a threaded member carried by the wall of themain gas-supply pipe and arranged at a right angle to the wall of thevalve-seat, said wall having an aperture in line with the groove andsaid threaded member having a reduced portion entering said aperture andserving as a valve to control the auxiliary gas-passage when the mainvalve is closed,clockwork mechanism having a cam controlling theposition of the main valve, a stem carried by said valve, the lower endof which is in operative engagement with the cam, a spring for keepingthe main valve normally open and the end of its stem in operativeengagement with the cam, a lug carried by the end of the valve-stem, ahood for the burner, and a rod adjustably secured to said lug andsupporting the hood for the burner, such construction providing forscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH CONKLIN. Vitnesscs:

WILL. A. BARR, J os. H. KLEIN.

